Fire heavily damages Crooked River Ranch saloon

A fire late Tuesday night caused significant damage to the Big Dog Saloon at Crooked River Ranch, officials said Wednesday as they continued to investigate what caused it.

Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue crews were dispatched around 10:40 p.m. to the saloon, located on Commercial Loop, said Fire Chief Richard Hoffman.

They arrived to find a fire on the building’s exterior and were able to knock it down within minutes, Hoffman said. However, the business sustained significant interior smoke and heat damage.

About 15 CRR Fire staff and volunteers responded and were on the scene for more than two hours, with mutual-aid help from Redmond Fire.

“The early-warning fire detection system in place played a significant role in reducing the amount of damage,” Hoffman said. “Without this system, the fire may have gone undetected for hours.”